Condenser apparatus



May 29,1923. 1,456,871

R; N. EHRHART CONDENSER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 8. 1918 fiA'. ATTORNEYPatented May 29, 1923.

I UNITED s'ra'rss p E N FiC new/roan) n. nnnnrin'r, or nnenwoon,PENNSYLVANIA, assrenon TO. wnsr- INGHQUSE-ELECTRIG-z JVIANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A

SYLVANIA.

CORPORATION OF PENN- CONDENSER APPARATUS.

Application filed November 8, 1918. Seria1 N0. 26li707.

' air extractingiapparatus in response to yariatlons in the amount: ofair or other noncondensable fluid within the condenser, and isapplicable to any type of air pump or ejector servingcondenserapparatus.

i It is well known in the art that'the air or non:condensab1e fluidcontent otthe fluid entering the condenser varies, making it necessaryto extract varying quantities of air. from thecondenser. Ejectors havebeen used for this purpose, but ejectors or any other type of airextracting apparatus will he wasteful OfSlGilIll unless means areemployed for varying their capacity' in accordance withvariationsiinthe' amount of air to be handled, since withoutsuch meansthe apparatus must be designed to. extract the maximum amountot :airencountered and operating conditions and must also continuously operateat full capacity. I have found that by using a plurality of small airextracting devices, s nc-has ejectors having a combined capacity capableof extracting the maximum amount of air encountered under operatingconditions, certain of the ejectors may be cutout of service. when thequantity of air to be handled is small, resulting in a correspondingreduction in steam consump-v 7. tion. I

This invention has for an object to produce an air extracting apparatus,wherein the air extracting capacity .thereof'is automatically varied tocorrespond with the amount of air to bewextracted. V

Another-object of the invention is to produce an apparatus wherein theoperating fluid supply to the extracting apparatus is varied inaccordance with Variations in the air content ofthe fluid withinthecondenser.

Another object is toproducean apparatus wherein variationinthe aircontent of the fluids within the condenser correspondingly aifectsapparatus for controlling the'steam supply to the ejector apparatusregardless of the quantity or temperature'of the steam entering thecondenser. v Anot-herobject of the invention is to pro duce a simple,inexpensive apparatus for performing the aforesaid functions.

These'and other objects are attained by means of apparatus embodying thefeatures herein described and illustrated in the ac- .coinpanyingdrawing wherein,

The figure is a. diagrammatic Vertical sec-c tion of apparatusembodyingthe invention. 7 Referring to the drawing, theapparatus is-shown asapplied to a surface condenser 1 although it is applicahleto'any typeofcondenserr The-apparatus includes a plurality of ejectors 2connectedin parallel with an air off-take conduit 3, leading from theair otftake port fit of the condenser 1L The ejectors exhaust into anexhaustmanifold 5 and the steam admission to each ejector is c 0 11trolled by a separateyalye 6 havinga'n up directed'lever? adapted to bemoved 1 v to a jvalye opening position by a valverod W ly 8, 'The valves6. areflp'ref ly 0 Tad-quick acting type and as diagrammatically illustrated are adaptedto be normally. held in closedposition by; meansof aspring or other suitable.closing means, notshownl I As shown in thefigure, the yalvcirodfS is in its extreme position toward the rightin'which all the Valvesare moved to. the fullyopen position by the stops9 which maybe adjustably securedinsuch positions along therod that thelevers? are successively engaged and the Valves successively opened asthe rod. is movedto the position shown from its'norma'l position.

An object of the invention is to regulate or vary; the air extractingcapacity of, the ejector apparatus so that it corresponds with the aircondenser. It willbe noted that I haye employed thew ord air. to;include all noncondensable"fluids; "It is well known; that if there isno air within the condenser the vacuum 1 at the region I of completecondensation within the condenser will correspond content of the fluidwithin the to the temperature ogf-the, condensate and s conversely thetemperature of: the condensate will correspond to the pressure withinthe condenser. The presence of air within the condenser causes anincrease in pressure over that theoretically possible, and consequentlythe vacuum attained within the condenser will not correspond to thetemperature of the condensate and the amount of variation willcorrespond to the air content of the fluid within the condenser.

In carrying out my invention I provide two receptacles or tanks 10 and11, the former of which communicates with the condensate offtake passage12 by means of the conduit 13 and with the hot well of the condenser bymeans of a pipe 14, so that condensate flows to the tank 10 and risestherein to the level of the condensate in the condenser. The pipe 14establishes communication between the hot well and the tank at pointswell above the normal water level.

The tank 11 is similar to the tank 10 and communicates with the lowerportion of the tank 10 by means of the pipe 15. The upper portion of thetank 11 communicates with intake of an air extracting device, which isillustrated as a steam actuated ejector. The pipe 18 establishescommunication between the upper portion of the tank 11 and the suctionchamber 16 of the ejector. Inasmuch as the tank 11 is small and istherefore subject to practically no air leakage,the ejector 17 caneasily maintain a theoretical vacuum within the tank, that is, a vacuumcorresponding to the temperature of the water in the tank. The vacuum,however, cannot rise appreciably above the theoretical vacuum, becausesuch an increase in vacuum will occasion rapid evaporation of the waterwhich in turn will clog the ejector and reduce its capacity.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that if there is no air withinthe condenser and the temperature of the condensate in the tanks 10 and11 is substantially the same as the condensate within the condenser, thepressure within the condenser 1 and the tank 10 will be'the same as thepressure within the tank 11, in which the pressure is the lowestattainable, and as the condenser and the tanks are intercommunicating,the condensate in the condenser and the tanks will therefore be at thesame level. I

As previously stated, air within the condenser increases the pressurewithin the condenser over the theoretical pressure corresponding to thetemperature of the condensate and the increase corresponds to the aircontent of the fluid within the condenser. For this reason air withinthe condenser 1 will be indicated by the fact that the level of thecondensate within the tank 10 will be depressed below the level of thecondensate within the tank 11, and the difference in level willcorrespond to the air content of the condenser- This difference in thelevel of the condensate in the two tanks 10 and 11 is employed incontrolling the valves 6 of the different ejectors 2 so that they willopen or close in response to variations in air content of the fluidswithin the condenser.

The tanks 10 and 11 are provided respectively with floats 19 and 20adapted to be buoyed by the condensate within the tanks and whichconsequently will rise and fall with the level of the condensatetherein. The tanks are designed to provide ample space above the floats,so that they may have ample range vertically to allow for largefluctuations in the quantity and level of the condensate within thecondenser 1. It will be understood that the relative position of thefloat 20 with respect to the float 19 depends entirely upon thedifference in pressure, within the tanks, and the floats of the devicefunction accurately regardless of the level of the condensate within thecondenser. If the condensate level in the condenser is high the floats19 and 20 will be correspondingly high.

The floats 19 and 20 are provided respectively with stems 21 and 22which project vertically through suitable packing glands 19 and 20respectively and are pivoted to opposite ends of the rocking beam 23adapted to oscillate about a central hub 24:. The hub 24 is slidablymounted within a vertical slot 25, provided in a guide 26, so that thebeam 23 may move vertically when the level of the condensate within bothtanks is concurrently and equally altered by reason of an increase ordecrease in the quantity of condensate within the condenser.

When the level of the condensate within the tank 11 rises above thelevel of the condensate in the tank 10, the effect will be to raise thefloat 20 and swing the beam 23 about the hub 2-1as a pivot. The beam isprovided with an upwardly projecting arm 27 provided at its free endwith a pin 28 adapted to ope-rate in a vertical slot 29 located in aclevis 30 which is mounted on the end of the valve rod 8. As shown, thefloat 20 is raised above the float 19, indicating a high air content ofthe fluid in the condenser, and the arm 27 is tilted to the rightsufliciently to hold. all the valves 6 open so that the extractingcapacity of the ejectors is increased to the maximum.

Vhen the combined operation of the ejectors has reduced the air contentof the fluid within the condenser, the float 20 will be loweredcorrespondingly, thereby shifting the position of the valve. rod 8 andpermitting the valves 6 to successively close. The stops 9 ar preferablyso positioned along the air content of the fluid within the condenser,responsive to relative variations of the level of the said portion ofthe condensate and the level of the condensate within the condenser.

12. Condensing apparatus comprising in combination a condenser, meansfor extracting air from the condenser, means whereby a portion of thecondensate is subjected to the vapor pressure of the condensate andmeans for controlling the air-extracting means including a meansresponsive to variations in the level of the said portion of thecondensate.

13. Condensing apparatus comprising in combination a condenser, meansfor extracting air from the condenser, a receptacle communicating withthe condenser and receiving condensate therefrom, means for subjectingthecondensate in the receptacle to the vapor pressure of the condensateat the temperature thereof, and means for controlling the air-extractingmeans including a means responsive to variations in the level of the condensate within the receptacle.

let. Condensing apparatus comprising in combination a condenser, meansfor extracting airfrom the condenser, a receptacle communicating withthe condenser and receiving condensate therefrom, means for subjectingthe condensate in the receptacle to the vapor pressure of the condensateat the temperature thereof, and means for controlling the air extractingmeans including a float responsive to variations in the level of thecondensate within the receptacle.

15. Condensing apparatus comprising in combination a condenser, meansfor extracting air from the condenser, a valve for controlling theextracting means, a receptacle communicating with the condenser andreceiving condensate therefrom, means for subjectinig the condensatewithin the receptacle to the vapor pressure of the condensate at thetemperature thereof, and means for con trolling the said valve includingmeans responsive to variations in the level of the condensate within thereceptacle.

l6. Condensing apparatus comprising in combination a condenser, meansfor extracting air from the condenser, a receptacle communicating withthe condenser and receiving condensate therefrom, means for maintainmg apressurewithln the receptacle dependent upon thetemperature of the0011-.

densate in thereceptacle, and means for 0011-.

trolling the air-extracting-means including means responsive tovariations in the pres-c sure 'within the receptacle.

17. Condensing apparatus comprisingin combination a condenser, meansforextract ing air from the condenser, a pair of recep: taclescommunicating With the condenser and receiving condensatetherefrom,means for subjecting the condensate in one receptacle to thepressure withinthe condenser, means for subjecting the condensate withinthe other receptacle to the vapor pressure of the condensate, and meansresponsive to relative variations of the level of the Waterin thereceptacles for controlling the air ex g apparatus comprising incombination a condenser,-means for e-Xtractmg air from the condenser, apair of receptacles communicating with the condenser and receivingcondensate therefrom, means for subjecting the-condensate in onereceptacle' to the pressure within the condenser, means for subjectingthe condensate within the other receptacle to the vapor pressure of thecondensate, means responsive to relative" variations of the level of thewater in the receptacles for controlling the air extracting means, andmeans forcirculating water from the condenser through the receptacles.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 5th day ofNovember, 1918. i

' RAYMOND N. EHRHART.

